Russian forces must withdraw from “all of Mali” and the ruling junta will “fall sooner or later”, a spokesman for Tuareg rebels told AFP, after Islamist insurgents and separatists launched attacks destabilising the west African country. FRANCE 24’s Juliette Brown reports. Keywords for this article Source link
Mali’s military leader on Tuesday made his first public appearance since unprecedented large-scale weekend attacks destabilised his ruling junta, visiting the wounded and meeting the ambassador of key ally Russia. Jihadists and Tuareg separatists are still positioned in the vast Sahelian country’s north, three days after launching a stunning wave of attacks, in what Moscow said remained a “difficult” situation. Source link
THE HAGUE, April 28 (Reuters) – More than 65,000 victims of a Malian Islamist who was a key figure in the police force that imposed sharia law on Timbuktu in 2012 and ordered public floggings and other punishments, should receive a combined 7.25 million euros ($8.5 million) in compensation, International Criminal Court judges said on Tuesday. The reparations will largely be in the form of collective rehabilitation measures including educational programs and training and psychological support, focused particularly on women and girls who were victimised by Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz, the judges said. Women and girls suffered persecution – one of the crimes for which Al Hassan was convicted – as their lives were the most closely controlled by the Islamic police. They were only allowed to leave their homes if they wore particular clothing, and many came to dread going outdoors, the judges said. Al Hassan, who was convicted in June 2024 of eight counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, could not pay the reparations himself, judges said, and they asked …
FRANCE 24’s François Picard is pleased to welcome Ulf Laessing, Director of the Regional Sahel Programme at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. According to Laessing, we are witnessing in Mali the complete unraveling of a broader geopolitical experiment. Russia stepped into a vacuum left by France, promising stability through force. Instead, its reliance on mercenary brutality, coupled with a shallow understanding of local dynamics, has accelerated the demise of an already fraught collaboration. The fall of Kidal and the coordinated surprise offensives reveal a dramatic shift in the balance of power. Jihadist groups and Tuareg rebels, which were historical adversaries, are now tactically aligned against a common enemy. Popular dissatisfaction with the junta coexists with a deeper fear of Islamist governance, creating a tense equilibrium that sustains the current regime, Laessing tells us. Meanwhile, regional institutions such as ECOWAS find themselves constrained, powerless to exert any meaningful influence as the Sahel region plunges deeper into conflict, isolation and instability. Source link
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Two and a half years later, the flag of Azawad – the Tuareg name for the northern region of Mali claimed by separatists of the FLA (Azawad Liberation Front) – is once again flying over the city of Kidal. In November 2023, the Malian army seized the city alongside Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group, now rebranded as Africa Corps. On April 25, separatists raised their flag in the city’s central square, claiming to have regained control. FLA fighters pose in Kidal’s main square after seizing control of the city on April 25. Location: 18°26’48.17″N 1°24’32.56″E Source: X / Wamaps_news / Guillaumem_MRC To display this content from X (Twitter), you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. Accept Manage my choices The assault began at 6am. Six Malian cities found themselves under fire. In Kidal and Gao, the offensive was led by a coalition comprising the FLA and the al Qaeda-linked Jihadist Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM). A morning of heavy fighting on the outskirts of Kidal An FLA commander told …
Ulf Laessing, Director of Regional Sahel Programme at Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Mali, is out guest. Source link
An Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group said Saturday that its fighters had joined forces with Tuareg rebels to launch attacks against the army across junta-ruled Mali. Helicopters buzzed over Bamako and around the international airport and fighting was reported at a nearby military base in what was one of the most complex attacks in years in the impoverished west African country. Keywords for this article Source link
Fresh fighting erupted Sunday in the key Malian town of Kidal between Tuareg rebels backed by jihadists and government forces supported by Russian mercenaries, a day after insurgents launched coordinated strikes across the restive Sahel nation. Tuareg rebels of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) on Sunday announced a deal for a Russian withdrawal from Kidal. “An accord has been reached permitting the (Malian) army and its (Russian) Africa Corps allies to leave the camp 2, where they were holed up since yesterday,” a Tuareg official told AFP. A Kidal resident told AFP: “We saw a military convoy leave, but don’t know the details of what’s happening… Fighters from armed movements have now taken over the streets.” The Africa Corps, an organisation under direct control of the Russian defence ministry, largely took over the Africa operations of the Wagner Group following the 2023 death of its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin. The group has been helping the Malian junta fight jihadists in the West African nation. To display this content from X (Twitter), you must enable advertisement tracking …
An ariel view of Bamako, Mali, April 25, 2026. uncredited/AP hide caption toggle caption uncredited/AP LAGOS, Nigeria—In Mali, West Africa, armed groups including Islamist militants have launched one of the largest coordinated attacks seen in recent years, targeting multiple cities across the country. Heavy gunfire and explosions have been reported around government buildings and major military installations, signaling a highly organized offensive. The attacks have affected the capital, Bamako, as well as at least three other locations. In Bamako, sustained gunfire and explosions were heard near the main airport, forcing the cancellation of incoming and outgoing flights. Similar incidents have been reported in Sevare, Kidal, and the northern city of Gao. The U.S. Embassy in Mali has urged American citizens to shelter in place and avoid all travel. While the Malian government says fighting is ongoing, officials claim the situation remains under control and its security forces are “currently engaged in repelling the attackers.” Reports indicate that Russian backed Africa Corps mercenaries are fighting alongside Malian forces in several locations, including the capital. Videos circulating …
